How Does Airbnb Disrupt with Design?

Letting a person into your home involves a careful evaluation process, but with the right behavioral principles, it can become a task that you can easily perform from your smartphone. In this episode, the talented Product Leader Jiaona Zhang shares the most significant lessons learned while being part of the Product Development team in Airbnb, such as the importance of progress trackers, real time feedback and host measurement beyond the guest reviews. Listen and learn how to build experiences that delight and bring the best out of each user!

Jump straight into:

(01:10) - Today’s guest Jiaona Zhang introduction.

(02:30) - Consider using progress trackers: Insights from the onboarding flow design for hosts at Airbnb.

(09:03) - Trying to hit the mark: The science that makes uploading photos to Airbnb a less daunting experience.

(10:59) - Rapid and relevant feedback: How Airbnb achieves small incremental changes in hosts' behavior and deals with bad experiences.

(17:00) - Enabling more honest reviews: The secret sauce behind the rating system development in Airbnb.

(23:07) - Measurement beyond the ratings: How response time impacts the way in which the app measures each host (and how that measurement improves the host behavior).

(27:47) - Carrots and sticks: The value of public recognition and enhancing the communication between guests and hosts.

(32:36) - Micro learnings from setting new norms: The link between interaction and comfort (and providing guests the choice to interact).

(35:38) - Everyone wants to be delighted: Lessons from Jiaona’s early gaming experience that have impacted her PM skills.

(40:11) - A spirit of optimization: What change has Airbnb established over the last 10 years?

Episode resources

Connect with JZ through LinkedIn and Twitter

Thank you for listening to The Science of Change. Reach out to Kristen through LinkedIn and visit The Irrational Labs website for more information on behavioral science.

This show is presented by SetSail (follow on LinkedIn) and produced by Irrational Labs and Studio Pod Media. Our executive producer is Rachael Roberts, all episodes are written by Kristen Berman and Ying Lin with expert script editing by Jack Buehrer. Special thanks Lydia Trupe for fact checking and citations.